Brian Frank

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!!! Now I have another choice. Its between a Radeon 32 DDR and a GTS 32MB. The thing is the Radeon has hardware DVD playback and its $150. The cheapest GTS around town is over $200. Another thing is either way I go, since Im going from a 3dfx card, Im gonna have to reinstall probably. What the biggest things are is compatability and drivers. So many components, so little time.

Hey, watch it pal! After all this site is more about Win2k than ME. ME has some major issues that should have been worked out before MS released it. The 9x line is different than the the NT/2000 line, with the latter much more stable and better at using memory. And remember, 3dmark is ONE benchmark. I will say though, because the 9x line is geared more towards gaming in the first place, thats the only reason you would be able to get a score that high. Now see what you get with the POS P4 in Win2k. I hope you know that the current P4 will be incompatible with the next version of the P4 due to a different socket layout. Sayanora, sucker! You are some lucky SOB, because ME has given me nothing but hell. Plus, I noticed a speed drop under ME from 98.

Yes you can upgrade from ME because Win2k thinks its 98(which thats all it is with more bugs), however it is best to do a clean install. That means, you reformat your hard drive and install from scratch. If you just got the upgrade to Win2k, no sweat, just have a 98 upgrade or full version cd, as Win2k will ask you for proof that you have another Microsoft OS to upgrade from. I know that works.

Another thing, when he said check the bios, that means when you boot up hit the Delete key when the system is detecting stuff, but you gotta be kinda quick. USE YOUR MANUAL THAT CAME WITH THE MOTHERBOARD, GENIUS! Make sure that during setup the ATA100 controller is set to enabled but not as first boot device until you finish setup. The promise controller does not have a separate bios, so any settings you can change are strictly in the bios. Also, Aegris, if youve know someone who has a better knowledge of this than you, have them help you. But make sure you look at the bios, and remember to use the manual!

Okay, I have the A7V, so here's two things you can do: either put the hdd on the primary (non-promise ide) controller and after installing Win2k install drivers for it and then hook it up, or put the drivers from the Asus cd, not the downloaded ones!, and hit F6 during the early setup. Win2k will ask you 2 times to provide the drivers for the ata100 controllers. Personally, Id say to just to use the first option, that way you wont pull your hair out.

Im not sure if everyones heard this, but if your running Windows ME with a processor of 933MHz or faster could have some problems with data being corrupted if you save something and then shut down soon after that. Something (I dont remember what) gets left behind and has to catch up. If the computer is shut off before "something" catches up, BOOM--data loss. Fortunately, MS has a patch for it under procduct updates. I know this has been out for a few months, but I was steaming over ME at the time and not using it. ANYONE USING A 933MHz CPU OR FASTER MUST GET THIS PATCH OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!!!!!!!!

Okay, Im sure were okay. I just looked at the Battle of the Computers post, and Pimpin228 seems to agree more or less that as long as the cpu stays under 120 F, you should be okay. I think were both okay. Now are you satisfied with the heat issue?

Ive had no problems with the Asus A7V. And the only good Athlon boards have a Via chipset in them, AMD only puts out a chipset to push things that it would like to see chipset makers (mainly Via, cause Intel wont help out a competitor, and we all know SiS and ALi put out worthless power chipsets). If you need RAID, the A7V133 has it. Also, if you install both the Via Busmaster drivers and the Highpoint drivers, that could cause a problem. I read something about that in an Abit BE6 mobo manual that my dad has with an ATA66 pair of extra controllers (8 IDE devices). Win2k will not really use ATA100, even though theres a patch for it. So, in otherwords, you cant do jack squat about it.

Sorry, but the only thing that you can do to fix everything is to reinstall. For some unexplained reason, switching to or from any 3dfx card will screw stuff up. You should be able to install with the SiS to get off on, and then switch to the GF2 with no ill results.

I usually just run it at 1024x768x16, limited bit depth by the V4. Im not sure Id bump up the bit depth much anyhow. I might go to 1280x1024, but I dont know. My desktop res is at 1152x864 on a 17-incher. MX or GTS, doesnt really matter, so long as it looks good and is faster than the V4 by a bit.

Well, mine gets a little toastier than that at its peak and with my room heater on, it hits 111F. If you havent already, get some heatsink compound to help cool your cpu. If you really want to have a cool cpu, get a vapochill-but its a few hundred for the case and cooling system. That, and you may have to mail order it. Im overclocking and I havent had any problems at the points Im at. I really wouldnt sweat it if thats the hottest you get. Ive heard that if you dont get hotter than 120F at any point you should be okay. [This message has been edited by Brian Frank (edited 10 March 2001).]

Am I gonna have a problem with heat any? Or am I still okay, cuz someone said that as long as it doesnt get above 120F you should be okay.

Id really have to say you are right, Jdulmage. I think that the insults have snowballed, due to OS choice, insufficent data, and just being an idiot in general. I diagree with jdulmage on XP, but that is a personal preference. But weve both made it in to a zealous war of the best OS. Another example, hardware related but not as strong, is about 3dfx core assets being swallowed by nVidia. Lets give whats left of 3dfx some respect here, people. Without them, we may not have known about what 3d acceleration was all about. nVidia has done something right, but if nVidia gets ATI, there will be a monopoly. And we all know where that got Microsoft--a supposed monopoly. We owe it to the companies that pioneered in their respective fields a little respect. Im not saying we let them off the hook when they have done something wrong. Companies have a right to set prices, as long as people have no better alternative, whichever company has the upperhand will probably continue to do so. Lets agree to disagree, peacefully.

Well, Im gonna wait a month or two then drop some $$ on a GTS, probably a Hercules or an Asus. Ive seen some Leadtek GTS cards in the past, but I dont see them anymore. Plus, theyve got one mondo HSF on it, and Im not sure if it will fit right next to a card. I just want it to fit in my case right where the V4 is. How much of a difference is there betweeen 32 and 64 meg cards? If its minimal, I dont know if shelling out a lot more will be worth it. [This message has been edited by Brian Frank (edited 09 March 2001).]

And another thing, Jdulmage: You are getting about as irritating as the "Why is my system so dope" fag.

Wow! Id like to be that cool. I dont think Ive hit above 45C/111F, but I sure wouldnt mind getting my cpu cooler. I have a sh*tload of fans in my case, so theres plenty of airflow. My specs on the sig line ------------------ Whaazzzupppppppppp! Asus A7V Duron 800@904MHz 384 MB SDRAM PC133 Samsung 48x CD-ROM Toshiba 12x DVD-ROM Zip CD650 USB 4/4/6 Zip 100 USB Maxtor 20.4 GB ATA100 Voodoo 4 4500 AGP @176 MHz Guillemot Maxi Sound Fortissimo SIIG 3 port 1394 PCI Adapter D-Link DFE-530 10/100 NIC Creative Cambridge Soundworks FPS1000 MS Intellimouse Optical Kleer 17-inch @ 85Hz 1152x864x32 desktop Kiwi Orb Fan with additional CoolerMaster strapped onto one side HDD cooler pulling air in Dual slot fan to suck air out Case fan to suck air out Dual 80mm fans to blow on cards.

Jdulmage: SHUT THE F*CK UP!!!!!! You are beginning to p*ss everyone off! Media Player 7 had compatability problems with Win2k. When I ran it under ME, the sound sucked, so I used Winamp. AND I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ANYTHING TO DO ILLEGAL REGARDING MICROSOFT. I find that Movie Maker is nothing but a space hog on my hard drive. I will pay for ONE copy of XP. And right now, I dont need to upgrade to XP. Just because you think XP is the greatest OS thus far, doesnt mean that everyone else has to think so.

Daikatana sucks. It came out several years later than the original release date. I tried the demo, but even on a PII 400 with 64 megs of ram (Im trying to remember the config I used it on) it was very hard to play and it was choppy. I also had an ATI Xpert 98 8MB AGP card, but I do remember it was hard to play cause of the choppiness. That was when the PIII's were first coming out on systems. Its very frustrating to play a game if your health is knocked down by 1/4 by an early game enemy before you can even look down to smack it. Let me put it this way, Ion Storm should pay you, just because you had to suffer through a poor and much delayed game.

ME SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to wait a few months after XP comes out, just to make sure important things like drivers, apps, and just about everything else works properly-minus the few bugs that werent caught, before and if I go to XP. Hopefully, MS has learned something from ME--dont put out a half-*** POS operating system full of bugs and incompatability. XP had better be more stable than ME, and MS should not include crap like the Movie Maker which cant be unselected by the user, or the Media Player 7 which is no match for WinAmp. XP should be better, but after seeing ME, I will wait after XP comes out just to make sure they didnt screw up anything. The NT core should prove to be much more stable than anything dreamed about by the 9x core.

First this post isnt a "Why is my system so dope?" This is just about seeing what peoples rigs can benchmark. I saw Inferno2000's 3DMark score...Wow! Now that is one "dope" system. My score thus far in 3DMark: 3054 My specs on the sig line. ------------------ Whaazzzupppppppppp! Asus A7V Duron 800@904MHz 384 MB SDRAM PC133 Samsung 48x CD-ROM Toshiba 12x DVD-ROM Zip CD650 USB 4/4/6 Zip 100 USB Maxtor 20.4 GB ATA100 Voodoo 4 4500 AGP @176 MHz Guillemot Maxi Sound Fortissimo SIIG 3 port 1394 PCI Adapter D-Link DFE-530 10/100 NIC Creative Cambridge Soundworks FPS1000 MS Intellimouse Optical Kleer 17-inch @ 85Hz 1152x864x32 desktop

I think its cause of the way the OS cores are programmed. Win9x is targeted at the home, so stability is sacrificed for speed. Win2k seems to be another beast entirely. Microsoft didnt target it as a speed demon, and more for businesses so keeping the pc up and running outweighed the need to have the fastest OS. However, Inferno2000 just posted a score in the mid 7000's. I think he's running Win2k. I tweak the swap file, overclock, use X-setup's enhancements like enabling ata66 under win2k, some cache settings. This might seem obvious but, do you defrag your hard drive?

Ya know, Im not sure about case temp, really. Heard it somewhere here, but I cant remember. It should matter which way the air is flowing, but it should flow in one direction. Im not sure how well sucking the air from the bottom would work, but if you put one in, just make sure it will suck air in. Personally, and because this is the only way other than a case mod, I have the airflow going from front to back. Heres my set up: Since the ATX PS connecter to the mobo prevents me from using the lowest 5 1/2 drive bay, I put a HDD cooler in to suck in air. On my processor now I have this Kiwi orb cooler. Mounted on one side (its down when the case is standing) is the fan off my coolermaster, and that works quite nicely cooling my cpu off. Since there is a spot for a case fan in back, I put one there to suck air out. Since my mobo, Asus A7V, cant use the PCI 2 slot, Ive used a slot fan with adjustable length for it. My temps for cpu and mobo at highest Ive seen CPU: 41C/105F Mobo:27C/79F I dont know how well your setup will work since the Power supply may interfere with the airflow, but keeping it in one direction is a good start. Wish I could remember about the case temp. Mine really doesnt feel warm at all...

Well the trick was supposed to work...but it didnt. Still, there's always the FSB. But with a KT133 board, you really cant push it past 113MHz. And this is on the Asus A7V. Still, thats nothing to laugh at. Make sure you get some kinda thermal paste, dropped my cpu temp by 10 degrees. Hope it works.

Well, I just got a new Duron800, now at 904MHz and so far it hasnt gone above 41 C/105 F. I put enough thermal paste on this one this time and that helped drop the temp even more, like~10 degrees. Also got a generic orb fan the Manhattan Kiwi and I love it because its so much easier than my CoolerMaster to put on a Socket A processor. Ive been told that if the processor stays under 120F not to worry. I dont think I'll hit much over 110F with my fans. Now I have a miniature jet in my room...

hehehe...oops, sorry there lexluthor, didnt know you werent really being an @$$